1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a utility vehicle having a load carrying platform at a rear portion thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A four-wheel utility vehicle is generally formed as shown in FIGS. 11(A) and 11(B). The utility vehicle includes a metal body frame 10, a total of four wheels inclusive of front and rear wheels 2, 3, driving members (not shown), such as an engine, and a driver""s seat 4, a load carrying platform 5 being provided at the back of the driver""s seat 4. The wheels have, in many cases, large-width tires which make the vehicle travel suitably on rough ground.
At the front side of the load carrying platform 5, a cabin frame 20xe2x80x2 is usually provided so as to surround the front and rear and left and right sides of the driver""s seat 4. The cabin frame 20xe2x80x2 is formed by iron pipes so as to protect a driver, and also enable a roof (not shown) or a hood (not shown) to be fixed to the cabin frame, whereby it is rendered possible to shelter the driver""s seat 4 from the rain, shade the driver""s seat 4 from the sunlight, and fix lighting equipment 7 to the cabin frame 20xe2x80x2 for carrying out night work easily. A front portion 21xe2x80x2 of the cabin frame 20xe2x80x2 has a rectangular frame structure as shown in FIG. 11(A), and is fixed to upper portions of the body frame 10 so as to superpose horizontal plate shaped flanges 23xe2x80x2 provided at left and right lower ends of the front portions 21xe2x80x2 on the upper portions of the body frame 10 from above.
Although this type of utility vehicle is provided with a cabin frame 20xe2x80x2, doors are not provided at side portions of the driver""s seat 4, nor is a windshield provided at the front portion thereof. One reason why doors and windshield are not provided are that a speed (upper limit of the capability) at which the vehicle can travel is set low as the vehicle is used off road. Further, it is desired the driver""s getting into and out of the vehicle should be done easily in view of the need to maintain a satisfactory work efficiency of the vehicle.
Such a type related art utility vehicle has a cover, or fender, over the wheels 2, a steering unit and the like. However, openable bonnets covering a trunk (storage case) having a large volume are not provided. Articles can be placed on the load carrying platform 5 at the back of the driver""s seat 4 or inserted in a box provided near the driver""s seat 4. The utility vehicle of FIGS. 11(A) and 11(B) is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model No. 202579/1988.
Because the utility vehicle shown in FIGS. 11(A) and 11(B) is not provided with a bonnet and a storage case of a large volume, and articles have to be placed on the load carrying platform 5 at the back of the driver""s seat 4 or in the box near the driver""s seat 4, the driver feels inconvenienced in some cases when the articles are of a certain kind and have certain quantities. That is, in the case where a driver carries somewhat large clothes, such as the driver""s upper garment and coat, on the utility vehicle, such clothes put on the load carrying platform 5 could get wet with rain or be soiled. While storage boxes are provided near the driver""s seat 4, the boxes of the utility vehicle do not have a sufficient space for accommodating such clothes. Therefore a vehicle having a large volume storage case with a bonnet is required.
However, a storage case with a bonnet suitable for such as a utility vehicle cannot be formed easily. The reasons reside in the following. The bonnet of a utility vehicle must be smoothly and easily opened and closed by a driver seated in the seat, be capable of being kept in a fully opened state, and be of a simple structure. Moreover, a storage case with the bonnet must have a large volume and still able to be opened and closed easily by a driver in the seat. Because of the above reasons, a large volume bonnet in front of the driver""s seat is required. But such a utility vehicle, as shown in FIGS. 11(A) and 11(B), having a front portion 21xe2x80x2 cannot provide a large volume bonnet in front of the driver""s seat.
The invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. The object of the invention is to provide a utility vehicle having a storage case of comparatively large dimensions, and a bonnet which covers the storage case permitting articles to be easily loaded into and unloaded from by the driver from the driver""s seat.
To achieve the above object, the invention provides a utility vehicle having a load carrying platform at a rear portion thereof, a cabin frame formed of a bent rod around a driver""s seat and an engine provided under the load carrying platform, comprising a storage case provided in front of the driver""s seat; and a bonnet covering the storage case that is openable and closable at a rear portion thereof. In this specification, words and phrases, such as xe2x80x9cleftxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9crightxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9crearxe2x80x9d including xe2x80x9crear portionxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cin front ofxe2x80x9d are used. When these words and phrases are used without special mention, they refer to the direction in which the utility vehicle advances. The words xe2x80x9clateralxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9clongitudinalxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cperpendicularxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9chorizontalxe2x80x9d used in the specification do not refer to directions in a strict sense but the generally understood directions.
Although the utility vehicle has a bonnet covering the storage case, the bonnet can be opened and closed by the driver from the driver""s seat. In a regular vehicle that travels generally on finished roads, the opening and closing of the bonnet cannot be done unless the operations are carried out by a driver who has gotten out of the vehicle, or the operations are carried out using a special remote control member. However, in the utility vehicle according to the invention, a bonnet body or a bonnet opening and closing mechanism can be operated directly by the hand extended forward of a driver on the driver""s seat. Because the bonnet is opened at a rear portion thereof, as mentioned above, articles can be easily loaded into or unloaded from a storage case under the bonnet.
The possibility of loading and unloading articles from the storage case provided on the inner side of the bonnet by a driver from the driver""s seat is directly linked with the advantage of the utility vehicle, i.e. the possibility of improving the efficiency of an operation thereof.
Preferably, the bonnet has a bonnet body fixed to a body frame of the vehicle via a support arm, with a pivot portion provided on a front section of the body frame and a fixed end portion supporting the bonnet body in a position radially spaced from the pivot portion. Thus, when the bonnet body is opened, the bonnet body is moved to a front upper position and thereby separated from parts provided under the bonnet at a front portion of the vehicle.
According to the invention, when the bonnet body is opened, if the bonnet body is moved to a front upper position and thereby separated from parts provided under the bonnet at a front portion of the vehicle, the utility vehicle can easily prevent the bonnet body and other parts, such as a headlamp grill, from contacting each other.
Preferably, the support arm is formed of a bent rod, the bent rod has the pivot portion extending in the widthwise direction of the vehicle and connected pivotally to the body frame. End portions, extending in the longitudinal direction of the bonnet body, are fixed to the bonnet body. With this structure, the support arm is formed easily at low cost and is lightweight.
Preferably the cabin frame has front lower portions combined with the body frame, by superposing vertical joint surfaces of the cabin frame on the body frame from left and right outer sides thereof, and has left and right edge portions of the bonnet body positioned above the joint surfaces.
With this structure, the openable bonnet of the utility vehicle can be formed having a large width (size in the widthwise direction of the vehicle), i.e. a large area, although the bonnet is provided in the inner portion between the left and right front lower portions of the cabin frame extending around a driver""s seat. When the front lower portions of the cabin frame in a cabin frame carrying utility vehicle are combined with a body frame by superposing horizontal joints on the body frame from the above, as shown in the above-mentioned FIGS. 11(A) and 11(B), the bonnet has to be provided only within the inner portion that shunts these joints. Otherwise, the bonnet cannot be opened and closed freely. Consequently, the width of the bonnet is limited to a low level. However, when the front lower portions of the cabin frame are combined with the body frame by superposing vertical joint surfaces on the body frame from the left and right outer sides as mentioned above, a large space can be obtained between the joint surfaces. When left and right edge portions of a bonnet body are then positioned above these widely spaced left and right joint surfaces, the width of the bonnet can be increased greatly, so that the area of the bonnet can be increased. When the area of the bonnet is increased, a storage case having a large opening which permits articles to be easily loaded and unloaded can be provided on the under side thereof.
Preferably the bonnet body is joined to the body frame by a set link, the set link including two links connected pivotally by a pin, a stopper for limiting relative angular displacement of the links in a predetermined direction, and a spring exerting a force in the predetermined direction, the set link being in a bent state when the bonnet is closed; and the set link being changed from the bent state into a linearly extended state and then exceeding the extended state due to an operation of the spring to be displaced to a predetermined angled state restricted by the stopper when the bonnet is opened.
With this structure, when the bonnet of the utility vehicle is once set in a fully opened state, the degree of opening thereof does not substantially vary even when strong wind blows on the bonnet body for the following reasons. Namely, the above mentioned set link connecting the bonnet body and body frame together is in a bent state when the bonnet is closed, but the set link is angularly displaced from the bent state beyond a linearly extended state (180xc2x0 opened state) when the bonnet is fully opened, until the set link attains a predetermined angle set by the stopper. In the case where an external force, caused by the wind or in other ways, is exerted on the bonnet in such a fully opened state in the direction in which the bonnet is further opened will be discussed.
A) When the external force is weak, the set link is kept at a predetermined angle due to the force of the spring and an operation of the stopper, or b) when the external force is stronger, the set link is displaced against the force of the spring until the set link returns to a linearly extended state, but an amount of the displacement of the set link is small as mentioned above, so that an angle of displacement of the bonnet body is very small. Conversely, when an external force due to the wind is exerted on the bonnet in the bonnet closing direction, c) the set link is not influenced by a force causing the set link to be returned to its original bent state, as the set link has already been angularly displaced from the bent state with the bonnet closed beyond the linearly extended state. The displacement of the set link due to the force is prevented by the stopper and the bonnet is kept in a fully opened state.
As described above, when the bonnet is once fully opened, it is not closed unless the driver moves the set link (displaces the set link toward its original bent state beyond its linearly extended state) and carries out a bonnet closing operation. Because the bonnet is able to be opened without any support means, such as a support rod, the driver can easily load and unload articles from the bonnet.
Preferably the bonnet has a fully closed state retaining member adapted to automatically engage the fully closed bonnet body and maintain the fully closed state thereof, a lift member adapted to exert an upward resilient force on the fully closed bonnet body, and an operating member operated from the driver""s seat to displace the fully closed state retaining member and enable the fully closed state to be released.
With this structure, it is possible to easily fasten and unfasten the bonnet body. Namely, when the bonnet is closed, the bonnet body is pressed against the resilient force of the lift member and the bonnet body automatically engages the retaining member, so that a fully closed state of the bonnet body is retained. When the bonnet is opened, the operating member is actuated from the driver""s seat to displace the fully closed state retaining member. Consequently, the closed state of the bonnet body is released by the upward resilient force exerted by the lift member on the bonnet body to cause the bonnet body to be displaced upward. And then, the bonnet body can be opened by the driver""s hand.
Preferably the storage case provided under the bonnet has an opening at an upper portion thereof, and is capable of being closed at the opening thereof with the bonnet.
With this structure, it is possible, in the utility vehicle, to provide a storage case which has a large capacity and can prevent the entry of rainwater into the interior thereof, and which permits a driver to easily load and unload articles in and from the storage case. The reasons why a large-capacity storage case can be provided reside in that an engine is provided, not on a front portion of a vehicle body but under a load carrying platform at a rear portion of the vehicle, whereby the storage case is provided in a space in front of the driver""s seat. When there is no engine in the space in front of the driver""s seat, a storage case having a large horizontal area (bottom area) and a large capacity can be provided therein. The reason why the entry of rainwater into the storage case can be prevented is that the storage case is provided under the openable type bonnet with an upper opening thereof capable of being closed with the bonnet. The bonnet is provided not only on the upper side of the storage case but also for closing the upper opening thereof. Accordingly, both the entry of rainwater into the storage case and the slipping-out of a stored article from the storage case can be reliably prevented. The driver can easily load articles into and remove articles from the storage case because the storage case is provided in a position in front of and adjacent to the driver""s seat and because the bonnet covering the storage case is opened and closed at its rear portion as mentioned above. That is, the driver, from the driver""s seat, can extend his/her hand and open or close the bonnet in order to load articles into or remove articles from the storage case.
Preferably the storage case also has a packing fixed to an edge portion of the upper opening of the storage case, over the whole circumference thereof, so as to closely contact a lower surface of the bonnet when the bonnet is closed.
With this structure, entry of rainwater into the interior of the storage case and the slipping-out of a small article therefrom are reliably prevented, and manufacturing and assembling costs can be kept low.
Preferably the storage case is provided at a bottom portion thereof with partitions or fastening bands so as to prevent articles from moving within the interior of the storage case.
In the case of a storage case having a large horizontal area, generally articles inserted therein tend to move frequently in the longitudinal and lateral directions, or gather in a certain side portion of the interior thereof, during the travel of the utility vehicle. However, when partitions or a article holding band is provided in the bottom portion of the storage case, as in the instant utility vehicle, the positions of the articles in the storage case are limited, or the articles themselves are restrained, so that movement of the articles is restricted.
Preferably the bonnet covering the storage case can be opened from the driver""s seat, the degree of opening of the bonnet being maintained by the bonnet itself when the bonnet is fully opened, the release of the fully opened state of the bonnet and the retention of the resultant bonnet in a fully closed state can be accomplished from the driver""s seat.
With this structure, the insertion of articles into the storage case and the withdrawal of the same from the storage case can be done especially easily.
Preferably the storage case is fixed at a front portion thereof to a body frame of the vehicle, plural storage boxes are fixed in a laterally spaced state to a dashboard of the vehicle, and the storage case and the storage boxes are joined to each other.
With this structure, in the utility vehicle, each of the storage case and the storage boxes thus provided is fixed firmly and stably. The reason why the storage case and storage boxes are stable is that the storage case and storage boxes are joined to each other and are fixed to a vehicle body with the front and rear portions secured to the body frame and dashboard respectively.